Mosquito Control

Group Leader   

Professor Brian Kay

Summary

Research in this laboratory focuses on the biology and control of mosquito-borne viruses such as dengue, Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus. QIMR’s Mosquito Control Laboratory is designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an official global Collaborating Centre for Environmental Management for Vector Control.

We specialise in designing new mosquito surveillance and control strategies and have strong collaborative linkages with dengue prevention research groups in Vietnam and Australia.  We also work directly with state and local government in Queensland regarding mosquito control and all mosquito-transmitted arboviruses.

The Mosquito Control Laboratory has the largest quarantine approved insectary in Australia. These specially equipped laboratories allow QIMR researchers to undertake work on exotic mosquito species (which are not native to Australia), and thereby help to define the risk of these organisms entering Australia and the likely impacts of these incursions in terms of public health.

Conditions researched

• Mosquito-transmitted viruses
• Dengue fever 
• Ross River virus
• Barmah Forest virus

Current research

• Local government mosquito control – controlling mosquitoes at the household level
• Understanding mosquito ageing and survivorship as important factors in the epidemiology of mosquito-borne disease 
• Evaluation of entomopathogenic fungi for biological control of mosquitoes
• Wolbachia and viral interference in medically important mosquitoes  
• Evaluating Wolbachia infection rates in local mosquito and midge species
• Water-filled barriers as potential transport mechanisms for container breeding mosquito species

Staff

Laboratory Head: Professor Brian Kay

Postdoctoral staff: Dr Leon Hugo,  Dr Jonathan Darbro, Dr Guangjun Lu

Research Assistants: James Hardy, Elise Kho, Vivian Kienzle, Brendan Trewin

Insectary Manager: Kay Marshall

Visiting scientists: Dr Tim Hurst

Students: Maggy Sikulu

Funding

The Mosquito Control Laboratory has an international and national reputation for sound scientific research and the development of innovative approaches to vector and arbovirus disease control. The Mosquito Control Laboratory has therefore obtained excellent research funding from a variety of international organisations, and Australian government (Commonwealth, State and Local) and non-government organisations.

Collaborators

Australian Centre for International and Tropical Health

The University of Queensland, School of Biological Sciences

Queensland Health

National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Hanoi, Vietnam

Mosquito and Arbovirus Research Committee Inc.

Eliminate Dengue Project

James Cook University 

Centre for Environmental Stress and Adaptation Research 

Oxford University Clinical Research Unit - Viet Nam 

The Pennsylvania State University

Local Governments: Gold Coast City Council, Logan City Council, Redland City Council, Brisbane City Council, The City of Greater Geelong, Tweed Shire Council, Ipswich Shire Council, Townsville City Council, Moreton Bay Regional Council, Sunshine Coast Regional Council, Fraser Coast Regional Council